Giannis Kondraros
Giannis Kondraros is the founder of Liberty. From his early years in University, he was intrigued by the role of animals in helping people with disabilities accomplish tasks otherwise prohibitively difficult or even impossible. Following his graduation from the University of Agriculture of Western Macedonia in Florina as an Agronomist with concentration in Animal Production in 2004, he received thorough training as a guide dog instructor and as a GDMI – Guide Dog Mobility Instructor from Dogs For Care Institution in the Netherlands. Since 2005 he is serving the Hellenic Air Force HAF for Military working dogs and Search & Rescue dogs as a Military Dog Instructor and instructor for adults. He is providing his services at the Hellenic Rescue Team and the Mobile Disaster Response Team (KOMAK) in missions of urgent needs and massive disasters, either in Greece or abroad with his search and rescue dog.
In 2008, his dream came true when he founded Liberty naming it after the first puppy that graduated as a guide dog, bringing him one step closer to his vision: To contribute to a world with greater inclusion and opportunity for people with disabilities by training guide dogs to become life changing partners for the blind or visually impaired people.
Since 2019, he is voluntarily leading the Canine Teams (handler and dog) of «The Smile of the Child» Search and Rescue Team for missing children. This team is the only one in Greece certified by the international NSARDA body (National Search And Rescue Dog Association UK) and the only Canine Team in Greece, seeking a particular person.
In 2020 he obtained his master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Patras and the University of Nicosia. During the last ten years he advanced his skills receiving accreditations from industry leading international and Greek organizations and attending international conferences in the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland and Turkey (Orientation and Mobility instructor- GDMI Netherlands, Guide Dog Instructor- Dogs for Care Netherlands, Instructor for adult trainers- Hellenic Airforce HAF and EOPPEP, Dog Breeding Conference for Guide Dogs and Service Dogs – International Association IGDF).
During the last three years, he has been directing his efforts towards establishing high standards education and procedures in Liberty. In 2021 Ariel, the second puppy graduated as a guide dog from Liberty while Dovi and Joy started their training as guide dogs. Athena, Liberty’s new puppy is spending the first year of her life in a foster family. Working hard and leading by example, he developed a community that supports Liberty with love, empathy, goodwill, and determination. Liberty volunteers became the guardian angels of its mission and their contribution is highly appreciated and acknowledged.
